Rail-joint.



PATENTED JUNE 30, 1903.

P. MBLAUN.

l RAIL JOINT. APPLICATION FILED PEB. 11, 1902.

l0 MGDEL.

Tonnen UNITED STATES Patented J' une 3 0, 1903.

PATENTv OFFICE.

RAIL-JOINT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 732,31 1, dated J une 30, 1903. Application filed YFebruary 11| 1902.. SerialNo. 93,598. (No model.)

To all whom t may concern.-

Be it known that I, FRANZ MELAUN, engi-V neer, a subject of the King of Prussia, German Emperor, residing at QLFasanenstrasse, Charlot tenburg, Germany, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Rail- Joints, of which the following, is a specification.

A form of fastening for rail-joints, according to which two headed iish-plates over which the wheels run are wedged into a bridge-plate, has already been patented.

My invention differs from the above inasmuch as l employ only a single headed fishplate in conjunction with a counter fish-plate lying below the heads of the rails, the two fish-plates being wedged into abridge Yor bed plate. i

My improved rail-joint fastening is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in Which- Figure l is a side elevation of the device,

partly in section; and Fig. 2, a cross-section on the line E F of Fig. l.

The rail ends, the tread of which for a certain distance is interrupted by removal of the rail-heads or by retreating the ends of the rails from one another, are connected by iishplates d and e. The headed fish-plate d, which carries the load, has a laterally-overhanging head which iills up the gap extend ing over the full breadth of the tread, so that the load of the wheels is fully taken up byit. The second fish-plate e lies below the heads of the two rail ends and below the head of the fish-plate d. The two fish-plates d and e have horizontal bases which are wedged between the inclined surfaces f of the bridgeplate g. In this manner all parts of the joint are Aiirmly and automatically connected together simply by the pressure of the wheels passing over it, as will now be explained. W'hen the Vertical pressure of the wheel acts upon the headed fish-plate, the latter tends to slide down the inclined surface f of the plate g, giving rise to a horizontal pressure laterally on the rail ends. This lateral pressure is transmitted by the rail ends to the second iish-plate e., and as the latter bears against the second inclined surface f of the plate g and above lies against the head of the headed sh-plate the pressure of the wheel, owing to the wedging action, will effect an exceedingly firm connection between the 'parts CZ g e. The parts thus extremely intimately pressed together merely by the pressure of the wheel and by reason of the wedging action, and therefore independently of bolts, forma hollenT girder supported by one or two sleepers, in which girder also the rail ends are very iirmly held. The latter, however, can nevertheless respond to the unavoidable expansion and contraction of the rails in the direction of their length and can also take up inclined positions in the vertical plane vrendered necessary by the elastic sinking motions of the sleepers.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is-

The combination of a rail-joint fastening, comprising a headed fish-plate filling up the gap extending over the full breadth of Athe tread between two rails, and alone sustaining the load of the wheels, and a counter iishplate lying below the head of rails and headed fish-plate, with a bridge-plate supported by one or two sleepers, in which plate the said fish-plates iit with wedging action, all substantially as and for the purposes hereinbefore set forth.

.Signed at Berlin this 27th day of January, 1902, y

' FRANZ YMELAN. 4

Witnesses WOLDEMAR HAUPT, HENRY HAsPER. 

